to God whiche Spirite we receaue by Christ at our regeneration Of this newe man speaketh our Sauiour Christe thus That whiche is borne of the spirite is spirite Also S. Paule Be renued in the spirit of your minde and put on the newe man whiche after God is shapen in righteousnesse and true holynesse Againe put on the newe man which is renued in the knowledge and image of him that made him What is it to denye our selues Playnly to professe that all our laboures and works profit nothing vnto saluatiō to slea the old Adam with al his lusts affectiōs What is it to forsake all that we haue for Christes sake To esteeme al that we haue not to be ours for his sake and willingly if neede so require for the profession of his name to depart from wyfe children parentes freendes countrey house landes and all thinges els that we doo or may enioye yea and to put our selues in danger of all perill for the name of Christ and profession of the Gospell He that loueth father or mother more then me saith Christ is not worthy of me And he that loueth sonne or daughter more then mee is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth me is not worthy of me He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall finde it Agayne if a man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wyfe and children and bretheren or sisters yea his owne life also he cannot be my disciple And whosoeuer doth not beare his crosse and come after me he cannot be my disciple What is the crosse that we must take vpon on vs Any sorow or payne that belonggeth to any vocation or trade of life for the tryall and profe of our faith and pacience Also it is the correction chastening rodde and staffe of the Lord wherewith he punisheth them whome he loueth not to theyr damnation or vtter casting away from his fauour but to saluation and to teach vs to flye vnto him in our trouble aduersity as children to our most deare louing father What is ment by the name of the Lorde whose glory we must set forth The glory prayse wysedome might power worship honor and maiestie of the Lorde Or the knowledg preaching and aduauncement of his holy worde What is the temple of the holy Ghost An honest godly and faithfull christian hart in the which God is rightly worshipped in spirite and truth wherein are offered spirituall sacrifices of prayse innocencie thankes geuing of an humble and contrite hart whose chiefe corner stone is christ Knowe ye not saith Saint Paule that ye are the temple of God and howe the spirite of God dwelleth in you ▪ If any man defile the temple of God him shall God destroye For the temple of God is holy which temple ye are Saint Peter also sayth Ye as liuing stones are made a spirituall house an holy Priesthode for to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. What is the kingdome of heauen The kingdome of heauen is diuerslye taken in the Scriptures First for the holy Gospell and worde of God bicause that is the scepter and yron rodde whereby God ruleth reygneth and dwelleth in the hearts of the faythfull Of this kingdome speaketh Christ in the Gospell on this wise I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen that is to saye I will commit vnto thee the office to preache the Gospell of saluation which openeth and vnlocketh vnto men the waye and doore by the whiche they may be saued and enter into the kingdome of heauen Item the kingdome of heauen is lyke vnto leauen which a woman tooke and hydde in three peckes of meale tyll it were all leauenned Secondlye the kingdome of heauen is taken for fayth it selfe as Saint Paule sayeth The kingdome of heauen is not meate and drinke but righteousnesse and peace and ioye in the holy ghost Thirdlye the kingdome of heauen is expounded the whole congregation of the faythfull abyding in this lyfe in whome the Lorde by his worde and spirite doth inuisibly dwell and reygne Of this kingdome speaketh Christ in the Gospell on this maner The kingdome of heauen is lyke to ten virgines whiche tooke their lampes and went to meete the Brydegrome Fyue of them were wyse and fiue were foolishe c. Fourthlye the kingdome of heauen is taken for the ioye felicitie and pleasure which the soules of the beleeuers enioye when they are departed out of this world and their bodies also ioyned with the soules at the day of Iudgement shall enioy euen in that place which Christ hath prepared for them to possesse where they shall bee comforted with the sight of his Maiestie and Godheade and with the fruition of his perpetuall felicitie with him Of this kingdome speaketh Christ in the Gospell When ye shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the Prophets in the kingdome of God and you to bee driuen out of the dores Finallye the kingdome of heauen is wheresoeuer Gods worde is preached from which kingdome they onely are excluded whiche beleeue not the worde according to this saying of Christ He that is of God heareth the wordes of god But yee heare not bicause yee are not of god Agayne My sheepe heare my voyce Item Euerye one that is of the truth heareth my voyce What meanest thou by a lande that floweth with milke and honie Pleasaunt abundance of all things both sweete and profitable By the honie is vnderstoode sweetenesse ioy gladnesse and pleasure By the milke pure nourishment whereby we still continue growe and increase in fayth and godlynesse vnto the measure of Christ. When shall we enter vppon and enioye this kingdome this promised lande that floweth with milke and honie The church militant in this worlde gouerned by the spirite of their most mightie valiant victorious and triumphant Captayne Christ already enioyeth after a certayne maner in spirite thorowe fayth in this kingdome and blessed lande as it is written He that beleeueth on the Sonne hath euerlasting life Hee that beleeueth not on the Sonne shall not see lyfe but the wrath of God abydeth vpon him But when they are ioyned togither both bodie and soule with the reast of the faithfull congregation which are departed out of this world in the faith of Christ to make one whole tryumphant congregation when they haue by the power of Christe conquered the malignant church of the deuill which shall be at the last day of iudgement which we doo dayly looke for nowe in these latter times then shall they truely and perfectly enioye and possesse all the ioyes and pleasures of that most ioiful and pleasant lande whereof Dauid speaketh on this manner I beleeue to see the good things of the Lorde in the land of the liuing Nowe we see in a glasse sayth the Apostle euen in a
speake vnto you they be spirite and life meaning they amount and passe the fleshe and sence of reason they be spirituall and heauenly It is sometime put for what so euer liueth and breatheth as all the spirits prayse ye the Lorde sometime for the breath and winde What is the fleshe Euery affection the hart the minde and thought of man and what so euer els man doth or can do by al the powers of his reason destitute of the worde of God. For Christe saith That which is borne of the fleshe that is it vnderstandeth not thinges that be spirituall Fleshe other while betokeneth the letter and fleshly vnderstanding The fleshe profiteth nothing it is the spirite that quickeneth What is the newe man It is the man that is renued and borne againe by faith and the worde through the spirite of god Except a man be borne a new he can not se the kingdome of heauen To be borne anewe he calleth where as before we were but carnall and fleshly not vnderstanding the misteryes of the spirite we must be borne agayne in spirite that is to become spirituall and more meete to vnderstanâ—e espirituall thinges What is the olde man Our affections appetites and vnderstanding according to reason without faith euen as we be all naturally borne of our mother as it appeareth in diuers places of the Scripture Also the whole body of sinne is called the old man in Scripture and they liue according to the old man that liue in ignoraunce and followe the lustes of their hart not walking in the newnesse of lyfe Who is blessed or happy All be it I may aunswere with Christ blessed is he that heareth and kepeth the woorde of God yet is he otherwyse defined in the Scripture As he is to be thought happy who holdeth him selfe well content with his fortune and thankefully receyueth whatsoeuer God sendeth him and who is at one with God and al creatures that is doth not murmure against God and on the other side enuieth nor dispiseth any man. Who is a wretch or vnhappy He that holdeth not him selfe content with that that God hath sent him He with whome nothing goeth forwarde nor agreeth not with God nor man. Who is poore He that can not make any great boastes or crakes of himselfe and who is destitute of all helpe as be they of whome Christe saith blessed are the poore in spirite in Scripture he is called lowe humble and hungry and he who is nowe in aduersitie Who is riche He is called riche in Scripture which needeth no helpe concerning his saluacion but hath workes ynough and more then ynoughe to bring him to heauen And as a man may call it full vp to the throte of the righteousnesse as be all Hipocrites Phariseies and iustifiers of them selues they also be called riche in Scripture which be proud mighty and dronken with fortune and prosperitie euer polling the poore Who is wyse and circumspect He which knoweth God and his worde which when he doubteth as keth counsell and doth all thing thereafter Who is a foole He that rashly is caried hither and thither with euery mocion that considereth nothing regardeth nothing nor suffereth himselfe to be corrected and warned of his euill doing but headlong runneth as he began forsing not whether he sinke or swymme or what becommeth of him and who as he knoweth not the worde of God so he passeth not on it The wisedome of God taken as foolishnesse before the worlde is the preaching of the Crosse of Christ and the iustifiing by faith that is to say though to suffer persecution for the worde of God and to preach that we iustified by faith be godly and the wisedome of the spirite yet the world laugheth it to scorne and counteth it highe foolishenesse The wisedome of the fleshe is foolishnesse before God. What is a childe or to be a childe A childe in Scripture is a wicked man or he that is ignoraunt and not excercised in godlynesse and Gods word be he olde or be he young Or he that lacketh spirituall iudgemeÌ„t in discerning chosing things Wo be to the countrey whose King is a childe And he shall die a childe of a C. yeere olde A child also is sometime taken for humble or meke Who soeuer huÌ„bleth him selfe as this childe is greatest in the kingdome of Heauen What is an olde man auncient or elder He which is well taught and instructed in the worde of God and exercised therein He which liueth honestly and without reprose hauing horenesse of maners authoritie grauitie and high knowledge in the worde of God. What is Christe The annointed king and priest of God sitting on the right hande of the father hauing full power to defend and warrant his flocke and being a ready aduocate for his at their neede And by him all Christen men be annoynted kings and priestes They be called kinges when in Christe and through Christe they subdue their wylde affections the diuell and death They be called priestes and sacrificers when they offer vp their bodyes into a liuely holy and acceptable sacrifice vnto God which is our reasonable seruing of God. What is Antichriste The adnersary of Christe and he which goeth about to obscure or vtterly to abrogate and pull away his glory teaching defining and determining that Christe is not the king priest and aduocate of his flocke What is prayer A brenning desire or peticion of the minde lift vp and directed vnto God springing and comming of the neede and lacke that we find in our selfe as farre foorth as faith and the promise of God suffereth and permitteth vs where marke that we aske such thinges as be honest and lawfull Sometime it is taken for the lifting vp of the handes the desire trying and sighing of the poore and such as stand in neede And some doth call it more generally the lifting vp of the mind to God. What is temptation The profe and trial of our faith and an exercise and practise of the worde Otherwhiles it is called the rod and staffe of the Lorde and the discipline whereby we see our selues and perceyue how well we haue profited and gon forwarde in the word which may best be tryed then when that we goe about doth not goe forward as we woulde What is desperacion It is when in temptacion and such trying of vs wheither it be by aduersitie or any other thing we fall downe distrust and cast away all hope of the mercie and goodnesse of God then I say when of no side appeareth any hope or succor and when we be as seemeth to vs vtterly forgotten and cast away of God. Of which temptacion we may see a manifest example To speake properly desperacion is the vtter and finall dispayre and distrust of helpe VVhat is vocacion or calling It is the manner of life vnto which God hath
come to nought Veryly as there is not a greater blessing geuen of GOD to any nacion then the gift of his vvoord so I knovve not yf a greater cursse from GOD can be cast vppon any people then vvhen the vvoord of GOD and the true preaching thereof is taken avvay from them as these vvoordes of GOD spoken by the prophete doo manifestly declare Beholde the tyme commeth sayth the Lorde GOD that I shall send an hunger into the earth not the hunger of bread nor the thyrst of vvater but an hunger to heare the vvoord of the LORD so that they shal goe from the one sea to the other yea from the North to the East runnyng about to seeke the vvoord of the Lorde and shall not finde it In this behalfe therfore are ye the inhabitauntes of Sandvviche greatly blessed of the Lord our God vvhich hath not onely very richelv geuen you his vvoorde to be preached taught and read among you but also hartes to receaue and beleeue the same as yf vve reade of Lydia vvhose hart sayth blessed Luke the Lorde opened that shee attended to the thinges vvhich Paul spake Out of this your feruent zeale and burnyng loue tovvard this diuine and heauenly Philosophie many godly and Christen fruites of Gods spirite haue issued and plentifully come foorth as brotherly concord and vnfained amitie among your selues not your selues onely but also among all the inhabitauntes of your Tovvne so that all contention strife debate discord emnitie variaunce tumultes quarelles lavvynges c. banished and auoyded beneuolence loue concord agreement vnitie amitie freendship gentlenesse humanitie and vvhatsoeuer maketh vnto the bond of peace ruleth and raigneth among you vvhich godly vnitie and concord dooth so euidently declare you to be of God as nothing more In this shall all men knovve that ye are my Disciples sayth Christe yf one of you loue an other As discord bringeth al thinges to hauocke so dooth concord conserue keepe in good order and make to increase vvhat so euer is good and profitable to a common vveale or to any part thereof As Salustius sayth By concord small thinges encrease and grovve but by discorde mighty and great thinges decay and come to nought It vvas very vvittely and learnedly ansvyeared of Terence vvhen the noble Senate of the most noble Romanes demaunded of him after the destruction of Carthage vvhat he thought to be the cause of the subuertion if so ample populus and florishing citie vvhether the puissaunce of the Romans vvhose force seemed to be incomparable or the feeblenesse of the Carthaginenses not being able to resist No sayth he neyther your valiance nor our vvant of puissance vvas the subuersion of our citie but the discorde of the Citizens The mightiest fortresse and strongest Bulvvarcke that eyther Citie or Tovvne can haue is the concord of Citizens vvithout the vvhich all puissaunce all force all vvytte al pollicie all castels all martiall armonies are vayne and vnprofitable verely in this behalfe are ye also greatly blessed of God vvhich both in godly vvorldly affaires are of one mind of one meaning vvithout al diffencion among you O blessed fruite of Gods spirite Moreouer hovve idlenesse that chiefe maistres of vices all vtterly exiled and banished out of your Tovvne No man liueth there idlely All degrees of persons are godly vertuously and profitably occupied euery man according to his vocacion and calling All studye to be quiet and to meddle vvith theyr ovvne businesse and to vvorke vvith theyr ovvne hands that they may not only eate theyr ovvne breade according to the commanndement of God but also through those their laboures haue vvhereof they may geue vnto such as haue neede as Saint John saith he that hath tvvo coates let him geue one to him that hath none And he that hath meate let him doo likevvise Certes diligent and vertuous trauaile vpholdeth the Citie but idle and sluggysh hands roote vp the foundacions thereof Furthermore vvho can yenough prayse and sufficiently commende your studious carefulnesse and painefull trauaile in making prouision for the poore members of Christe vvhich haue not of them selues vvhereof to liue Verely yee haue a fatherly care for your poore ' that none of them should vvant Ye count their lacke your ovvne lack neyther are ye lesse moued vvith theyr miseries then yf ye your selfs vvere touched vvith the same according to this saying of Saint Iohn He that hath the substance of this vvoorld and seeth his brother haue neede anb shutteth vp his compassion from him hovv dvvelleth the loue of God in him Vnmercifulnesse tovvard the poore vvas one of the chiefe causes vvhy that florishing and to much vvealthy Citie Sodome as the Prophet teacheth vvas destroyed vvith fire an brimstone from heauen Verely euen so contraryvvise vvhere the vvorkes of mercie are diligently practised vpon the poore there is the blessing of God conseruation of the Tovvne or Citie encrease of goodes and fortunate successe in all honest and godly trauayles as Salomon sayth He that geueth to the poore shall not vvant He that lendeth to the Lorde that shevveth mercie to the poore and it be recompenced him to the vttermost as our Sauiour Christe sayth Geue and it shal be geuen vnto you good measure and pressed dovvne and shaken togeather and runnyng ouer shall men geue into your bosomes For he that geueth but a cuppe of cold vvater for Christes sake shall not loose his revvard Yf thou vvylt breake thy bread to the hungry sayth GOD by the Prophete and leade the needy vvayfaring man into thy house couer the naked man and not turne avvay thy face from the poore thy lyght shall breake foorth as the mornyng and thy health florishe right shortly yea thy righteousnesse shal goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shal embrace thee Then yf thou callest the Lord shall aunsvvere thee yf thon cryest he shall say Here I am O blessed is the man sayth the Psalmographe that considereth the poore and needy the Lorde shall deliuer him in the time of trouble The Lorde shall preserue him and keepe him aliue that he may be blessed vpon earth and not be deliuered into the vvyll of his enimies The Lorde shall comfort him vvhen he lyeth sicke vpon his bedde yea and make his bedde in his sieknesse Agayne vvhat shall I speake of your gentle and louyng enterteynement of strangers and forreners vvhich for the testemony of Christes most glorious Gospell and for the quietnesse of theyr conscience that they may the more freely serue GOD vvith a pure mind are not only content to suffer vnvvorthy banishment vvith the losse of their goodes but also day and nyght to labour vvith their ovvne handes for their liuing that they may be no burden to any man These most vvyllyngly and gladly ye admit receaue and embrace cherishe entertayne and comfort These ye lodge place among you not as strangers but as Citizens not as forreners but as your dearely beloued
our byrth What soeuer is not of faith is sinne It is also the distrust in God and the ignoraunce and contempt of him and a trust and confidence in our owne workes What is originall sinne It is the poyson and corruption that we haue in our birth through the infection of our nature in Adam which doth bring foorth in vs the fruite of incredulitie and all wickednesse and maketh vs vnable to the workes of the lawe as the lawe requireth them to be done of vs vntil Christ and his word hath made vs a newe creature What is originall Iustice The integritie holenesse soundnesse of the powers of the body and the soule whereby both the soule and the body could verely obey doo and fulfill the lawe of god Wherefore after the poison of sin entred nature lost her integritie and soundnesse and the venim of sinne made weake faint and feeble the whole nature of man so that it could not in no wise wil or do the worke that it whole before could do And not this only but it infected and corrupted the flesh and the soule and all the powers of them both which infection ingendred in the nature of man hus febled the ignoraunce and contempt of God the distrust in God the murmuring against God when he sendeth aduersitie or sicknesse It causeth furthermore man to be without the feare of God to hate the iudgement of God to flee and runne away from God when he chasteneth vs to be angry with him and dispayre and to trust in thinges corruptible c. These be the horrible biles sores pockes and carbucles that disfigure the face of man Which though they be neuer so high yet our schole men and canonistes I meane the professours of the Byshop of Romes lawes coule neuer see or perceyue These Chiste through faith at our baptisme doth suppresse and abate theyr power and at the last by death doth vtterly vainguishe and kill What meane you by these wordes Poena and Culpa This word Culpa which is in english a faute or trespasse properly in this place betokeneth the gilt as we call it or the trespasse and that which the law punisheth in the deede or fact as in an act of felony the law punisheth not the comming to the Horse nor yet the brideling no nor the leading of the Horse from the stable medowe or common for all these may be doone without the euill and vnlawfull desire of the Horse and agayne with the owners leaue But the lawe punisheth the comming the brydeling and taking away the Horse against the owners wyll and with the mind of stealing him and calleth the facte thefte or felony This word Poena which is in Englyshe payne is the wages and punishment taken for the faute And thus some kinde of vices al hurtes damages sicknesse pest ilences perils errours and the lacke of Gods word that we haue among vs be paines and punishmentes of sinne That God punisheth sinne with losse and daunger both of body goodes with sicknesse pestilence and such other none I thinke doubteth but that he punisheth sinne by sinne and sinne by errours and heresies the worlde can not so clerely perceiue Howe be it Paul doth playnly declare it where he sayth because the Gentils turned the glory of God and worshiped the creature more then the maker c. Therefore saith he God gaue them vp vnto shameful lustes c. Which iustes be there straight after expressed And this punishment I meane to punish sinne by sinne is a very sore punishment He punisheth sinne by errours and heresies thus When the word of God is plenteously and sincerely preached as it is nowe and yet men still kicke against it or in case many receiue it yet fewe or non regard it or liue according to it but with their wordes make on it only for a fleshly libertie then I say God taketh his word away from thence as who be not worthy of it and letteth the worlde preuaile against his preachers and suffreth Antechriste who must nedes succeede Christ to kill them so that Antichriste peaceably enioyeth his kingdome as he hath doone all ready this great while and he must needes haue like doctrine to him selfe So did he punishe the Iewes his owne elected people at sundry times more then .ii. M. yeere and suffered them to worship false Gods or els to set vp their owne tradicions Gods preceptes neglected So also hath he punished our fore fathers these viii or ix C. yeeres And now except we thankefully receyue his woord and liue thereafter in the newnesse of life according as we are called no doubt of it he wyll not only revolue and cast vs downe againe to our old ignoraunce captiuitie and bondage but also shortly take such vengeaunce on vs as he threatened Bethsaida Corazin c. Nowe God remitteth the crime gylte and trespace to his electe through faith in Christe but he reserueth after a certayne manner a little porcion of the paine not to counterpeise therewith or satisfy his iustice for the crime as the Byshop of Rome with his complices hath taught vs this great while but to chastise their flesh with all and sometime to be an example vnto other to forbeare like crimes for fear of like punishment or to declare the yre of God for such crimes So that what trouble vexacion griefe losse sicknesse so euer the best men that be haue they deserue it with much more Howbeit no not thus GOD would beate scourge and trye his and it were not for their owne profite and auayle For by this meanes he nourtereth reineth and humbleth his electe that they may knowe them selues the better and lest they runne at large after the world as it appeareth by the aduoutry of Dauid and many other storyes in the Byble What is innocencie The purenesse of the minde and when the conscience is not giltie or findeth it selfe culpable in any thing This innocency only the faythe in Iesus Christe ingendereth in vs In this state was Paule after many interpreters mindes when he sayd I knowe nought by my selfe c. He sayd not this that he thought not him selfe a sinner and that he trespassed not afore God for then had he ben a lyer For Moyses saith to the Lord it is thou that takest away trespasse iniquitie and sinne and none innocent before thee but he meaneth of his conuersacion In this state also was Ezechias the good King when he turned him to the wal and wepte Here we call not to be giltie or culpable to haue the peace of the conscience and the is when we beleeue through Christe that our sinnes be hid for vnto that time the lawe ceaseth not to accuse vs in our conscience What is the spirite It is a Heauenly sence or vnderstanding springing out of the worde of God or els the selfe word of God exceeding the sence of the fleshe and reason The wordes that I